Pressure signaling apparatus



Oct; 12, '1943. c. F. RlssER 2,331,571

PRESSURE SIGNALING APPARATUS Filed Nov. 14, 1941 '3 sheis-sneet 1 jg, j

Inventor Attorue)l Oct. 12',A 1943. c. F. RlssER PRESSURE SIGNALING APPARATUS Filed NOV.' 14, 1941 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 umm Q 'pluim' Inventor ,Q man uw 0 Attorney oct. 12, 1943.- C, E RISSER y 2,331,571

PRESSURE SIGNALING APPARATUS Filed Nov. 14, 1941 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 7 f si? 7 7*' 9 Attorney Inventor Patented oct. 12, 1943 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE PRESSURE SIGNALING APPARATUS Christian Francis Rissen, south Bend, Ina. vApplication November 14, 1941, Serial No. 419,206 y (ci. zoo-58) 2 Claims.

My invention relates to improvements in pressure signaling apparatus for the pneumatic tires of automobiles, the primary object in view being to equip such vehicles, inexpensively and without material alteration of the same, with apparatus of simple construction for signaling to the operator either under or over inflation of any or all of the tires and which tire, or tires may be improperly inflated.

To the accomplishment of the above, and subordinate objects presently appear, a preferred embodiment of my invention has lbeen illustrated in the accompanying drawings, set forth in detail in the succeeding description, and defined in the claims appended hereto.

In said drawings:

Figure 1 is a fragmentary view partly in vertical section and partly in elevation of one of the wheels of the automobile equipped according to my invention,

Figure 2 is a detail view in' section taken on the line 2-2 of Figure 1,

Figure 3 is a similar view taken on the line 3-3 of Figure 1,

Figurel 4 is a view in perspective of the stationary contact of the flasher switch,

Figure 5 is a view in horizontal section taken on the line 5-5 of Figure l,

Figure 6 is a View in perspective of the revolving contact of the flasher switch,

Figure '7 is a view in longitudinal vertical sec tion of the pressure operated circuit maker and breaker drawn to an enlarged scale and taken on the line I-l of Figure v8,

Figure 8 is a View in side elevation of said pressure-operated circuit maker and breaker,

Figure 9 is a view in transverse section taken on the line 9-9 of Figure 7,

Figure 10 is a view in elevation of the instrument panel of the automobile, and the signal board, and

Figure 11 is a diagrammatic View illustrating l the electric circuits.

when one or more of the signal lights 4 are energized the operator will be apprlsed of which tire, or tires, the signal or signals are concerned with.

The tire 8 oi. each wheel 'I is equipped with a pressure-operatedy circuit maker and breaker l, and the brake housing 9 oi' each wheel 'I with a flasher switch I0, the pressure-operated circuit maker and breaker and the flasher switch of each wheel conjolntly controlling the signal light 4 related to the tire of the wheel. l

Each pressure-operated circuit maker and breaker 8 comprises an elongated barrel I I of any suitable conductive metal terminating at its ends in reduced nipples I2, I3, the nipple I2 being threaded onto the valve stem I4 of the tire I. The other nipple I3 has suitably threaded therein the usual valve insides of the valve stem I4 and designated I5 so that the tire 6 may be inflated through the barrel II. The usual valve stem cap I6 is threaded onto the outer end of said nipple I3. Suitably secured in an opening I1 provided in the barrel II intermediate its ends 'and extending into said barrel is an inwardly tapering cup-like housing IB of conductive metal, said housing projecting into the barrel II bottom lnnermost and said .bottom having the form of a corrugated disk I9 flexible in opposite directions under variations of pressure in the barrel I I. Specifically, the disk i3 is designed to ilex inwardly of the barrel Il under fall of air pressure ln the barrel Ii below the normal inflation pressure of the tire B and to be flexed outwardly of said barrel under rise of pressure in the barrel Il above the normal inflation pressure for` said tire. Un der normal inflation in the tire, and hence in the barrel Il, the disk I9 is flexed into an intermediate position shown in Figure 7. The housing i3 contains a bar-like axially disposed contact 2U having an inner end suitably fixed in the center of the disk I9 and its outer end provided with a pair of laterally extending spaced-apart contact lingers 2|. The contact lingers 2| straddle the free end of a leaf spring contact 22 having its outer end secured as by a screw 23 to the outer side of the barrel Il and suitably insulated from said barrel by insulation washers 24. In the described intermediate position of the disk I9, the contact ilngers 2l clear the leaf spring contact 22. However, under flexing of said disk I9 in either direction from said intermediate position, one or the other of the contact fingers 2I engages the leaf springfcontact 22 to complete a circuit as will presently more clearly appear.

Each flasher switch I0 comprises -a Wedgeshaped contact 25 having a threaded shank 2B by means of which and a nut and washer 2l, 28,

respectively, said contact is fixed in a flanged insulation bushing 29 suitably secured in the usual stationary rear plate 30 of the brake housing 9. For intermittent coaction 'with the described iixed contact 25 of the flasher switch I0, a revolving brush in the form of a leaf spring 3| is flxed at one end to the front plate 32 of the brake housing 9 to extend toward the plate 38, the arrangement being such that the other end of said spring 3| wipingly engages the fixed contact 25 under rotation of the front plate 32 of said brake housing as will be clear. The fixed end of the leaf spring 3| is secured by a bolt 33 in an insulation bushing 34 suitably fixed in said plate 32. The free end of the leaf spring 3| is preferably curved as at 35 to facilitate wiping engagement with the contact 25 and preferably said leaf spring 3| inclines rearwardly as regards the direction of rotation of the wheel 1 forwardly to facilitate wiping of the end 35 over the contact 25.

Referring now more particularly to Figure 1l, the signal lights 4 related to the left front and left rear tires are connected on one side, as by the wire 36, to a lead 31 extending from one side of the battery 38 of the ignition circuit, and on the other side to the shanks 26 of the contacts 25 of the flasher switches 8 related to the left front and left rear tires, through the medium of the leads 40, 4|. The pair of signal lights 4 related to the right front and right rear tires are similarly connected on one side, as at 42 to the leaf 31, and on the other side similarly connected to the shanks of the contacts 25 of the flasher switches Il! related to the right front and right rear tires, through the medium of the leads 43, 44. In these connections, the Shanks 26 and nuts 21 of the contacts 25 are utilized as binding posts. The leaf spring 3| of each flasher switch I8 is connected through the bolts 33 to the leaf spring contact 22 of the pressure-operated circuit maker and breaker 8 of the related wheel by means of a lead, as at 45, extending from said bolt 33 to said leaf spring contact 22. It should be explained,

at this point, that each pressure-operated circuit maker and breaker 8 is grounded through the valve stem I4 to the wheel in any suitable manner, as represented at 46. A suitable cut-out switch is interposed in the lead 31.

Describing now the operation of my invention, in the event that the pressure in any tire should vary either above or below the normal inflation pressure, the diaphragm i9 of the pressure-operated circuit maker and breaker attached to the valve stem it of said tire will be operated .in one direction or the other, for reasons which will be clear, to engage one or the other of the contact fingers 2| with the leaf spring contact 22 and thereby ground the circuit completed through the related flasher switch Ill so as to close the circuit to the related signal light 4 and advise the operator of variations in pressure in the related tire. As will be clear, the circuit thus closed flows through the appropriate signal light 4 from the without further explanation.

Manifestly the invention, vas described, is susceptible of'modification without departing from the inventive concept, and right is herein reserved to such modifications as fall within the scope of the subjoined claims.

What I claim is:

l. A circuit closer for attachment to the valve stem of an automobile tire to close a signaling circuit under variations in air pressure in the tire comprising an elongated barrel adapted to be attached at one end thereof to said stem and forming a pressure chamber, a cup-like housing fitted in one side of said barrel to extend into said chamber open side outermost and having a bottom within said chamber adapted to flex in opposite directions under pressure variations in the chamber, and a pair of contacts extending from said bottom and from said side of the barrel, respectively, and one movable relative to the other by flexing of said bottom into and from engagement with the other.

2. A circuit closer for attachment to the valve stem of an automobile tire to close a signaling circuit under variations in air pressure in the tire comprising an elongated barrel adapted to be attached at one end thereof to said stem and forming a pressure chamber, a cup-like housing fitted in one side of said barrel to extend into said chamber open side outermost and having a bottom within said chamber adapted to flex in opposite directions under pressure variations in the chamber, and a pair of contacts extending from said bottom and from said side of the barrel, respectively, and one movable relative to the other by flexing of said bottom into and from engagement with the other, one of said contacts having a forked end straddling the other for engagement with said other contact under flexing of said bottom in opposite directions.

CHRISTIAN FRANCIS RISSER. 

